Blood On Their Hands: Alternative Endings
by RueThisDay
Summary: A sort-of-maybe sequel to Blood On Their Hands, featuring a different ending and victor for the 250th Games, but with the same characters. ALL credit goes to Leven1313 for everything. Except the characters, but even they aren't mine. (Sorry, it won't make much sense if you haven't read the original. But you can still read it! It's on my profile, go have a look; it's not long! :D)
1. Day 3

**A/N: Hello and welcome to this little collection of chapters written by leven1313. Leven is an awesome person for writing all this, please go check him out.**

**Anyway, all credit goes to Leven and the time he put in was entirely voluntary. It is based on my original story, Blood On Their Hands, but he was wondering what might happen if some things changed, and here it is...**

**Thank you, Leven. ;)**

* * *

**Marcus, from District 1:**

As the dark-haired boy stalked past, the girl from eleven sighed and rolled over. The rest of the career pack were all asleep, especially Alexx, the oldest girl from two.

Of course, she was meant to be on guard as well, but she had been drugged by Rye, from eleven, who was going to make a break for it tonight.

It would've been an interesting storyline for the capitol viewers – a story of betrayal, love and hope…

What a shame she had fallen asleep.

**Pisces, from District 4:**

I wake to the sound of light footsteps outside my tent. Quickly and quietly, I slip away from Siren and grab a dagger. As I slowly open the flap of the tent, I see the District One boy who had refused to join us raising a knife above Alexx. He is getting ready to plunge it into her chest.

Without even thinking, I step out of the tent. The boy hears me and turns just in time to have my dagger enter his forehead. He drops to the ground, lifeless. A cannon rings out, and the rest of the careers come running out to see what has happened.

"What's going on?" Jonathon asks angrily looking over at me. Alexx is just sitting up, groggily shaking her head.

"I heard footsteps," I quickly reply, "and I came out and found that boy about to kill Alexx."

"Where's Rye?" he retorts, "She's supposed to be on watch, too."

**Rye, from District 11:**

Dang it! I was hoping to sneak away with Carissa, but I had fallen asleep. Now, I'm going to be in so much trouble for not being on guard. What can I do?

Slowly, I lift myself off the ground and turn to Jonathon. He is clutching a sword and glaring angrily.

"I'm sorry," I say, "I feel like I've been drugged." Of course, I haven't since I was the one to administer it to Alexx, the other girl on watch, but I have to deflect the attention from myself.

"Yeah, me too," Alexx grumbles, "I have a major headache."

"Who did this?" Jonathon asks turning to the rest of the group. Nobody replies.

"I saw Tyler last night near the food supplies," Alexx says, "He was acting weird, but I didn't think anything of it. Later, Rye got us a snack, and that's the last thing I can remember."

**Tyler, from District 4:**

I start running. I didn't drug the food, but I can tell by the looks in Jonathon and Alexx's eyes that they are not going to believe me. Luckily, I have the element of surprise, and I'm a good distance ahead of the others, when my foot catches of a wire. An excruciating pain erupts in my right leg. I look down and see a knife protruding from my calf. It was one of Andrew's stupid traps.

I grit my teeth and rip out the blade. As I toss it aside, I look up and see Alexx standing above me. She's grinning vengefully, and I know it is over.

**Rye, from District 11:**

Alexx brings down her whip again and again on the innocent boy. I turn away as his flesh begins to separate from the bone. I wince with each crack of the whip.

My mistake has caused his death. I am a murderer.

**Emily, from District 7:**

I feel Josh's forehead with my hand again. Still hot – his fever's getting worse. I check his leg. Still broken.

Well, what did I expect – the leg fairy to fix it?!

Of course not. I guess I just hoped…

We're staying on the outskirts of the ruined city, in a barely-standing shack with no roof, but three walls. Every day, I collect rainwater from the jungle that is only a few hundred metres away, and pour it into Josh's mouth.

But he's getting worse, and I hate to think what's lurking in the depths of that foliage, or, more to the point, who.

I can almost feel the hunters getting closer by the minute.

**Alex, from District 3:**

He is watching the girl from seven very closely, trying to figure out if she is a threat.

Her ally, the little one, obviously isn't. Every hour, he gets more and more surprised that the girl hasn't just taken off. He can see in her eyes that her instincts are all screaming for her to run.

But she doesn't.

Why not?

He has seen the hunter with his axe, waiting to strike, and has understood that this man is the bigger threat to him.

His blonde eyebrows crease up as the girl leaves again.

And the hunter chooses to strike.

**Emily, from District 7:**

Boom!

I start running back to camp, when I see Josh huddled in a puddle of blood at the feet of Terran Lacerta. I skid to a halt and turn back to the trees. As I enter the forest and deftly dodge around trees, I hear heavy footfalls behind me.

Terrified, I push myself harder, tearing through underbrush and scratching my face and forearms. I stumble into a clearing and see Alex, the boy from District Three, staring at me.

"Run," I scream, "He's right behind me!" There are now three sets of feet pounding through the woods.

**Terran, from District 6:**

I grin as I continue the pursuit. They can't outrun me. I'm bigger and stronger than both of them. I glimpse Alex dashing between the trees. Stopping, I stoop down and grab a rock. I heft it in my hand and then chuck it right as Alex appears again between two large trees.

It hits him in the back of the head, and he stumbles to the ground. I jog over to him as he turns over. Tears are streaming down his now dirt-covered face. What a wimp.

"Please..." he trails off, looking at me fearfully.

I smile and bring the axe down.

**Josh, from District 12:**

Rosalie's face is the first thing that I see when I wake up. Her gold eyes shine down into mine, and I can't help but smile.

"Come on, let's get moving." I say, pushing myself up from the pile of rubble that I was sleeping on. She nods, and we set off.

Before long, we reach the rainforest, and the going gets much tougher.

An hour later, we reach a clearing, and we are desperate for a rest. Involuntarily, my body slumps against a tree, and I grab the water tankard, take a swig from it, then hand it to Rosalie. She also drinks from it, but then, suddenly, collapses.

I just catch her before she hits the ground and inspect her body.

"What happened?" I ask, still searching frantically.

"My…Leg…" She pants, limply, and I stare at her ankle.

Two holes, about two centimetres apart, puncture her skin.

Rosalie has been bitten by a snake.

**Torin, from District 7:**

Ping!

My head shoots up from the snare I am setting up, and I walk over to where the noise came from. Nothing.

Ping!

Evasive little… Where is it?!

I hunt around again, my ears pricked, and eventually find it… Floating down from above my head; it's a parachute, for me!

My hands grab it and open it, to find… A bow, some arrows and a note, but who from?

Quickly, I rip the note open and read. 'Your scavenging team and I came together to buy you this. Hopefully you will now stand a better chance. Love you, Saraxxx'

Sara. I miss her so much. She is my energy boosts, my light in the dark.

Without her, I would've died long ago in these games.

**Carissa, from District 7:**

"Hey!" I whisper into the bushes "Hey, come out!"

In answer, the pale, expectant face pokes out. I only just stifle an 'aww' as her blue eyes gaze, hopefully, at my hand, and I can't help but smile; she's so cute!

"Here." I whisper, holding out some food. "But, do you need anything else? Water, a blanket?"

Her gorgeous eyes light up at the thought of a blanket, and I smile again. "I'll get you a blanket."

"Thank you." She squeaks, and I walk away, quickly.

Two things occur to me then; firstly, that I've never heard her speak before. She reminds me, very much of a mouse. Secondly, I have no idea how to smuggle her a blanket. Seriously, I don't know how I'm going to get past someone like Jonathon.

But I will do it; I promised.


	2. Day 4

**A/N: Ok, so I'm just saying, all I own in this whole story are the author's notes.**

**This one made me cry, dammit. Thanks a lot, leven. :(**

* * *

**Josh, from District 12:**

Rosalie has been awake all night, and I'm worried, meaning that _I_ haven't slept either.

I watch her numbly as she spasms, her body contorting into unnatural shapes. Suddenly, she screams. Her eyes widen, and she throws up a lot of blood.

I begin to cry and slowly rock back and forth. There is no way she can survive this. After she finishes retching, she lays back down, her body becoming still. I caress her face, knowing this is the end.

She mumbles something inaudible. I have no idea what she said, but I don't have time to ask her. She's fading quickly. They say that the last sense you have before you die is hearing. So, I whisper the only thing I can think of.

"I love you, Rosalie." A faint smile seems to flicker across her lips, and then it is gone. After a long night of no sleep, Rosalie finally drifts into an eternal slumber.

Leaving me to cry.

**Drew, from District 2:**

I murderously glare at Jacob as he happily chatters with Siren and Pisces. He's trying to get in with them in order to steal Siren from Pisces, but Siren is mine! I planned on eliminating Pisces soon, but now Jacob is becoming an issue.

Knowing I can't do anything drastic in front of everyone without getting myself killed, I walk over to Jonathon.

"I think we should go out hunting again," I say as I approach him.

"Alright," he concedes, "but not everyone can go. I figure Alexx and Rye should stay because they might still be suffering some effects from the drugging, but we need one more person to stay behind."

"Leave Jacob," I offer, "He's really annoying, and he's not that strong of a tribute. He'll be of better use back here." Jonathon eyes me suspiciously, but then nods his head.

Hah! _Take that Jacob. Siren will be going on this hunting trip with me, while you have to stay at camp!_

**Rockelle, from District 2:**

I stand quietly as Jonathon calls everyone to attention. I can tell he is itching to get back out and find some tributes to fight.

"Listen up," he says once everyone has gathered, "It's about time we go out hunting again. So, here's how it's going to be. We are taking everyone with us except Alexx, Jacob, and Rye."

"What?!" Alexx's voice angrily rings out, "I'm not staying behind!"

"I'm worried that you and Rye might still be coping with the drugs in your systems, and I don't want to risk it," he replies evenly.

"I'm fine," she growls, "and if you leave me behind, you are going to regret it." She menacingly clutches her whip and glares at Jonathon expectantly.

"Fine," he replies. He maintains a calm appearance, but I think deep down he is terrified of this red-headed girl from District 2.

"I'll stay behind," Carissa volunteers before anyone can say anything else.

"Good. It's settled then," Jonathon looks relieved. "Everyone who's going grab your stuff and let's go." He turns to Rye and says, "we won't be back for a while, so keep the bonfire burning so we can find our way back if it's dark."

She nods and he turns and follows the others towards the woods. I look over at Carissa and frown. She seemed a little too eager to stay behind for my liking, but I'll have to worry about her later; I don't want to miss out on the action.

**Adeline, from District 10:**

I watch them, the girl from eight and the boy from ten.

But I don't get it; how could she be naïve enough to trust a boy _twice_ her age and height?

I want to intervene, to stop her from being so mercilessly heartbroken.

How do you do that and live to tell the tale in a place like this?

_You play them at their own game, and win._

**Jacob, from District 2:**

I want to punch Drew in the face. He purposely told Jonathon to leave me behind, so he could spend time with Siren. I hope Pisces kills him. Better yet, I hope that I get the chance to kill him. I'll torture him until—I'm jarred out of my thoughts by a noise behind me. I turn around, and Rye smashes my face with a shovel.

The world goes black. _Great one, Jake._

**Carissa, from District 7:**

"Did you kill him?" I ask, horrified.

"Nah," Rye replies. "He's still breathing. He'll just be out for a while, and he might have a broken nose." I nod, feeling much better. We both work in silence, gathering up all the supplies we might need. I can't believe that we got so lucky to be left behind with only Jacob!

Suddenly, I remember Jenna.

"Rye?" I call out. "Grab extra supplies. We are going to have one more person to take care of."

"Who?" she asks sharply

"Jenna, the girl from District Nine. I found her on the perimeter of the camp. She's too young to defend herself, and we can't just leave her behind," I plead.

"Fine," she relents, "but let's go. Now." We jog over to where Jenna is hiding, and I call out for her. She appears from behind a bush, and clambers out to follow us.

"Wait," Rye says to us, "Stay here for a minute. I just remembered something." And without another word, she jogs back to camp.

Jenna and I wait nervously for her to return. When she does, she is grinning almost maniacally.

"What?" I inquire.

"Jonathon said to keep a bonfire burning, so I did," she replies smugly.

I turn to see the flames rising from the remaining piles of the supplies back at the career's camp.

**Andrew, from District 1:**

We march through the woods like a herd of elephants. Honestly, I'm not sure if any of the other careers even know what the word 'stealth' means. I need to get away from them as soon as possible, or their stupidity is going to end up killing me.

We walk for a little while longer, and luckily, we are passing behind a waterfall, which covers the sound of the others' loud footsteps, when Jonathon stops everyone. Looking around the side of the base of the waterfall, I see why Jonathon has had us stop. Josh, the boy from District 12, is hunched over crying. Behind him is Terran Lacerta with an axe raised above his head.

"Now!" Jonathon yells, and all of my companions stampede out of our hiding spot and rush for the two boys.

This is my cue to leave these idiots.

**Siren, from District 4:**

I rush out alongside the others. Jonathon reaches the boys first and begins fighting Terran, but I'm right behind him. Without hesitation, I twirl my sword through the air in a graceful arc and plunge it into Josh's back. He lets out a gasp and falls to the earth as blood begins to pool around him.

I turn to see Pisces, Rockelle, Drew, and Hyacinth helping Jonathon fight Terran. He must be good if it takes that many to kill him. However, before I can admire his skills any longer, I sense a presence behind me. I turn around and see Riana smiling at me wickedly.

"What?" I ask, shivers creeping up my spine at her expression.

"I wanted to kill the District 12 boy," she says giggling, "but you killed him! So now, I'll kill you." Laughing, she swings her trident at me. I block it and desperately glance at the others. Everyone is too engaged in fighting Terran to notice my predicament. Except Alexx.

She leans calmly against a tree, watching the whole thing. My fear renders me speechless, so I just look at her, pleading with my eyes. She just smirks and stays where she is.

Riana swings her trident again, and I block it with my sword. However, she's stronger than I realized, and while the blow doesn't hurt me, it does send me reeling backwards into the pool of water at the base of the waterfall.

**Pisces, from District 4:**

Terran swings his axe at Jonathon, and it lodges in his leg. Jonathon howls in pain, but now Terran is defenseless. Hyacinth goes in for the kill, but Terran deftly avoids her blade and knees her in the stomach. That's when Rockelle buries the spear she is carrying into his spine. Terran falls to the ground, gasping for air.

I realize that his spine has been severed, and he is mostly paralyzed. Jonathon hobbles over and finishes him off with a sickening thud.

That's when I hear a splash. I turn to see Siren emerging from the pool at the base of the waterfall. What she doesn't see is the crocodile right behind her.

Screaming in fury and fear, I run to the water and pull Siren out. The crocodiles maw snaps shut, missing her by inches. Snarling, it rears its head and thunders out of the water.

* * *

**A/N: Action-packed, yes? (Almost better than the original...)**

**Review, please, and let me know if you want anything from this story. I can do tribute lists and things to keep you updated, if you want? I understand it gets a bit confusing as to who's doing what.**

**Anyway, the next chapter's out in a few days, hopefully.**

**See you then!**


	3. Day 5

**A/N: Another chapter for you! I had a few questions, so I thought I should put up a little explanation as to what's going on. I'll do another tribute list next time, and all the times after that, so everything is clear.**

* * *

**These tributes are part of the 10th Quarter Quell, the 250th Hunger Games. The almighty twist was that three girls and three boys would reaped from each district, one pair for each of the following age ranges: 6-11, 12-18, 19-25. We started on day three, and this is day five.**

**The remaining tributes are:**

**One  
**Hyacinth Shineback  
Andrew Frore  
**  
Two  
**Jacob Bryant (?)  
Drew Bryant  
Rockelle Greyworth  
Alexx Odom  
Jonathon Ray

**None from Three**

**Four  
**Siren Moon  
Pisces Ruller  
Riana Venturanza

**None from Five and Six**

Seven

Emily Ray  
Torin Carlysle  
Carissa Oak  
**  
Eight  
**Lizzie Stauder

Nine

Jenna Moonlight

Ten

Adeline Hanran  
Shaki

Eleven

Rye Lefter

None from Twelve

* * *

**Adeline, from District 10:**

That girl from eight is in more danger every second she spends there.

I have to intervene now.

The boy goes off into the forest (To hunt?), so I run around to intercept him. I put on my 'lost and alone' face, just as I sprint straight into his side.

"Whoa!" He says, as I back away, eyes wide. His huge hand reaches out to steady me. "Are you ok?"

I say nothing, just flinch away slightly.

"Stay here. I'll bring some food, water and a blanket for you. Hang on"

"Thank you," I whisper.

"That's ok," he replies, and walks back into the forest.

_Whoa, Adeline, nearly trusted him there!_

I need to be a bit more careful.

**Carissa, from District 7:**

Jenna, Rye, and I have been running for ages. Several cannon blasts have echoed through the arena during our journey, and I wonder who they are for.

Rye, who is in the lead, suddenly stumbles and disappears from view. Slowing down, Jenna and I approach the foliage where she vanished. Peering down, there is a short, but steep hill that leads out of the forest. Rye is brushing herself off, apparently uninjured.

"I'm fine," she calls to us, "Come on down. Just be careful. It's really steep." Jenna and I pick our way down the slope until we are next to Rye.

Turning, we all see a huge mountain not far from where we are.

"We should head up there," I say, "It will give us a good vantage point to watch for other tributes."

"I don't know," Rye counters. "We have no idea what could be waiting for us up there." Before I can say anything, Jenna pipes up for the first time.

"Please don't go back into the forest. It's too scary." Her melodic voice nearly melts my heart, and I wish that I could whisk her away somewhere safe. I lean down and hug her tightly.

"It's alright," I say. "Everything will be fine." I look over her shoulder at Rye and raise an eyebrow. She nods, and we begin our long trek up the mountain.

**Hyacinth, from District 1**

The crocodile lunges out of the water. As it reaches Pisces, it bellows, and he takes the opportunity to ram his blade up into its mouth and through its skull.

Pisces killed it, but when it falls to the earth, its mouth closes on his arm severing it at the shoulder. He screams out in pain as his blood drains from his body.

"Give me your jacket," I demand, looking at Drew. He complies, and I rush over to Pisces. I tear the jacket into strips and open the medical kit I had in my bag. I pull out some alcohol and pour it all over the wound.

Pisces howls even louder and begins to thrash.

"Siren! Rockelle! Riana! Grab his legs and arm and hold him down. I need to bandage his wound," I order. After watching my own sister die, I cannot let him die as well.

I look up and notice that Riana is gone, but Drew quickly takes her place, pinning down Pisces' left leg. I wrap up the wound as tightly as I can. I just hope that it will stop the bleeding.

**Adeline, from District 10:**

Around dawn, the boy from 10 comes back to me with food, a sword and a sleeping bag.

"Hey." He appears so suddenly I only just get my 'weakling' face on in time. "I brought food"

"Why would you do that?" I say, suddenly but shyly "Why don't you just…" my voice drops in volume "Kill me?"

He laughs, callously "I'm not like that. You were lost and alone, and I don't leave people when they're like that."

There is a silence as he watches me eat ravenously.

"Where do you go when you're not here?" I ask through a mouthful of rabbit. "Why don't you just stay here?"

"I have a camp" He grins.

I widen my eyes. "Can I come?"

He hesitates. Gotcha.

"Umm… Ok." He stops and thinks. "Actually, this place is better. I'll just get my tent and things, and then I'll join you here."

"Awesome, I'll come and help!"

"No, no!" he says, a little too quickly. "You stay here"

"But I want to help!"

For a second, he looks lost. Then he says "No, you rest. You are so weak at the moment; you need some sleep"

"But-"

"I insist. Don't want someone as weak as you trying to haul my heavy things now, do we?" His voice has taken on a darker, more serious tone. If I want to live, I should probably stop pestering.

"No, we don't."

Then he fades into the woods.

A minute or so later, a cannon blast echoes across the arena.

And I know that I failed to protect the other girl.

**Andrew, from District 1**

I sit back and relax, looking at my handiwork. I have created a lair with so many traps that no one could ever think of getting to me. Only the gamemakers themselves could truly challenge my genius.

After an hour, I check my snares and find a pair of rabbits. I quickly skin them and skewer them. Placing them over the fire, I frown.

I have been waiting to get off on my own, so I can play the Games on my terms. But now that I am alone, there is no one around to appreciate all of my hard work and planning.

I really want to try out some of my traps, so I may just have to lure another tribute in.

**Alexx, from District 2**

What a pitiful band of careers. We trudge back to camp bedraggled and exhausted. Siren and Hyacinth are supporting Pisces, while Rockelle is trailing behind with Jonathon. He is limping badly but insists he is fine. However, I don't think he'll make it another day. That axe wound is pretty bad.

Drew finishes up the group, but he isn't of any use because he's too busy pouting since no one is paying him any attention.

Siren keeps shooting me looks. I know she is mad that I didn't help her when Riana attacked, but honestly, she is so annoying. She and Pisces are always cuddling and holding hands. It makes me sick. I wouldn't be upset at all if she died right now.

It's getting dark, and the only reason we are able to find our way home is because of the fire that Rye kept burning. I hope those back at camp took the initiative and made dinner. I'm starving.

As I walk out of the forest, I see our camp. There is no campfire. The camp itself is ablaze. Most of our supplies are already completely burned, but there are still a few items that are actually burning. I rush forward seeing if there is anything I can save, but it is too late. Only the plastic containers still burn, melting and smoldering and creating the glow that we saw through the trees.

Furious, I kick the nearest object. It crunches, and I look down.

It's Jacob's corpse. Burned to a crisp.


	4. Day 6

**A/N: Another chapter and I'm sorry it's been so long!**

**The remaining tributes are:**

**One  
**Hyacinth Shineback  
Andrew Frore  
**  
Two**  
Drew Bryant  
Rockelle Greyworth  
Alexx Odom  
Jonathon Ray

**None from Three**

**Four  
**Siren Moon  
Pisces Ruller  
Riana Venturanza

**None from Five and Six**

**Seven**

Emily Ray  
Torin Carlysle  
Carissa Oak

**None from Eight**

**Nine**

Jenna Moonlight

**Ten**

Adeline Hanran  
Shaki

**Eleven**

Rye Lefter

**None from Twelve**

* * *

**Adeline, from District 10:**

I've got to take care of that boy from 10. He is out wandering around, looking for helpless tributes to kill, and now I know his secret. I'm sure to be next on his target list.

Gathering what little I managed to collect from the bloodbath (a handful of berries, a half-full canteen, a small dagger and a compass), I clean up my campsite until it looks untouched. Then I scale a large tree, and, as silently as I can, I begin leaping from branch to branch, tree to tree.

I've got a killer to catch.

**Jonathon, from District 2**

I sit huddled under a tree not far from the remains of our camp. It's been a long night. The pain in my leg is killing me. I don't think that it's infected, but it still hurts worse than any of the injuries I sustained back in District 2, when I was practicing for the games.

However, I must put up a strong front for the others. I don't want to be known as the lamest career in the history of the games. We've got to pull ourselves together.

I look around at the remains of our once intimidating career pack. Andrew and Riana ditched us, and they will have to pay for their disloyalty. Siren is still alone and crying, near the quicksand river. In the early hours of the morning, Pisces finally died from the loss of too much blood. His death hit her hard.

Hyacinth also took it harshly. She had administered all of the medical aid, and she blames herself for his death. Drew is sulking again. After Pisces died, he tried to move in and claim Siren. He's such an imbecile. Naturally, she rejected him, and he hasn't spoken to anyone since.

Alexx is nowhere to be seen, but I can't imagine she abandoned us. She's a cold-blooded killer to the core. She wouldn't want to miss out on the action. She's probably just in the woods venting her frustration.

That just leaves Rockelle, who is approaching me. I stand up to meet her, trying not to wince.

"Do you need something?" I ask, trying to sound authoritative. In response, she rams the spear she was carrying into my gut.

**Rockelle, from District 2**

Jonathon falls to his knees, gasping in pain. As he hunches forward, I lean towards him, smirk, and violently rip the spear out of his stomach. He cries out and falls to the ground, curling into the fetal position.

That's when Alexx steps out from the trees behind him. Approaching, she smiles, walks over to Jonathon and crouches down.

"Sorry, sweetheart," she sneers, "but you're not cut out to be leader." She reaches down caressing his face, her fingers trailing along his cheek, mingling with sweat and tears. Then, with a sudden jerk, she snaps his neck, and unceremoniously drops his head back onto the ground.

Standing up, she brushes herself off, and we both walk over to the rest of the group, which had gathered so everyone could watch what was happening. Drew looks completely taken aback, but Hyacinth and Siren knew this was coming.

"All right," Alexx starts. "I've had enough of this weak career group. True, we don't have any supplies, but we will provide for ourselves, and we will prove ourselves to all of Panem!"

"Great!" Drew says enthusiastically. "Siren and I will go hunting."

"Actually," Alexx replies, smiling unctuously, "that reminds me. We have one order of business to take care of first. The boys around here have caused enough trouble. Most are gone, but I want an all-girls career pack."

Drew looks around, realizing his predicament. He pulls up a sword and holds it out, the blade quivering as his arms shake.

"Hey," he says unevenly, "Let's not be too hasty here. I can help. I mean Tyler and Jacob were idiots. Andrew was too quiet. Jonathon was a bad leader, and Pisces was a clumsy fool, but I can be of use." Siren growls when Drew mentions Pisces, and she inches forward.

Arms now trembling outright, Drew backs away, his face one of pure terror. Smiling, Alexx fingers a particularly lethal whip that is embedded with chunks of serrated metal. She steps forward and lashes it out.

It wraps around Drew's neck, and with a flick of her wrist, Alexx sends Drew's now severed head flying through the air. His body crumples to the ground, and a cannon sounds, signaling the death of the final guy in the career pack.

**Emily, from District 7**

I sit quietly, picking the raspberries that I found near the abandoned city. I have stayed alive through scavenging and stealth. I was afraid that that evil boy from Six would kill me, and I was relieved to see his face in the sky last night. The careers must have gotten him. I just don't know anyone else who could match his strength and skill.

Suddenly, grief overwhelms me again. I may be alive physically, but when Josh died, when that beautiful, innocent, fun-loving, little boy from home died, when the boy I was supposed to protect died, I felt as though part of me died.

A chunk of my soul was ripped from me, and I am no longer who I once was. I feel hollow and empty. I'm usually a fighter, but I just can't go on, knowing I killed Josh by my negligence.

Letting the berries I am holding fall to the ground, I finger the nightlock I found yesterday. One mouthful and it will be over. One mouthful and I can see Josh again. I raise the berries to my mouth and prepare to eat them, when I hear a _Ping!_

I look up and see a silver parachute descending from above me. I stare in awe as it floats down into my lap. Tributes from District 7 hardly ever get sponsor gifts. I have no idea what this could be. Uncapping the container, I see a blow gun with five darts and a note. I quickly unfold the piece of paper and read:

_'Emily, please don't give up. It's not your fault Josh died. In fact, the blow gun is from District 7. They are so grateful for all you did for him. They are rooting for you. It's lonely here without you. Please do your best and come back home. Love, your sister, Madison'_

I start to cry as I reread the note again and again. Thunder booms above, and rain starts to fall. I clasp the note to my chest, protecting it from the water. This is the most precious gift I could receive in this arena.

I can't give up on Madison. I can't give up on Josh. He would expect me to win for him. I stand up with a new determination.

Rivulets of water stream down my face from the rain, and my clothes are soaked, but I stand oblivious to the downpour.

"I'll win for you," I say quietly. Then I grab my blow gun and walk off into the storm, prepared for anything.

**Torin, from District 7**

I am knocking another arrow to shoot the deer I have been tracking when the rain starts. My vision is obscured, and the deer begins to scamper off.

"Perfect time for a storm," I mutter under my breath. I hurriedly slide the arrow back into the quiver and run after the deer.

It's really dark now, so all I see are shadows in the rain, but I'm confident I can keep up with the deer. I see its outline bounding just ten yard ahead of me.

Suddenly, something hits it from the side, and it falls over. I quickly stop and observe what happens. Another shape, perhaps a boy, appears and crouches over the deer. Scared, I slowly begin to step back. The rain obscures the sound of my footsteps. I keep watching the boy, but he stays where he is.

That's when the ground moves beneath my feet. I feel like I'm in one of the elevators in the training center, as I'm pushed rapidly up into the air. I lose my footing and fall to the ground. As I throw my hands out to catch myself. The quiver slides off my shoulder and tumbles to the ground below along with the bow I dropped.

I curse myself. Those were my only weapons, and I clumsily lost them.

Suddenly, the rising sensation halts, and something crashes around me. The rain is still pouring down, so I carefully feel my surroundings, afraid I might fall off of whatever I'm on. The surface feels like wood, and as I reach the edge of the circular floor, my hands reach some sort of pole.

I shakily stand up, keeping one hand on the pole. Then, I reach out and feel another pole about six inches from the first one. Quickly, I turn around rush to the other side of the floor. I feel more poles.

Then, I realize what has happened. These aren't poles. They are bars. Panic begins to swell inside of me.

I'm inside a cage.

**Jenna, from District 9**

_I'm standing on my plate, watching the countdown for the games. The gong rings out, and I stumble forward off the plate. Unsure of what to do, I look around until I see Annika. She's a 10-year-old girl from District 6. We met during the training and decided to stay together._

_She is near the woods, and I rush towards her. Some of the tributes have already gotten weapons and have started fighting._

_"Annika!" I call out, "It's me, Jenna!" She turns to look at me, and that's when an arrow rips through her throat._

I wake up screaming, thrashing around in my sleeping bag. Every night, I've had to relive Annika's death. I just can't take it anymore. I bury my head in my arms and begin to sob.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and look up. It's Carissa.

"It's alright. I have those dreams, too, but they can't hurt you anymore," she says comfortingly. "Why don't you come and sleep with me?" Smiling, I wipe my face with my sleeve and allow her to guide me to her sleeping bag.

We both crawl in together, and I feel better having her body next to mine. It reminds me of home, when all of my sisters would climb in bed with me.

I'll be okay as long as I'm with Carissa.


	5. Day 7

**One**

Hyacinth Shineback  
Andrew Frore  
**  
Tw****o**

Rockelle Greyworth

Alexx Odom

**None from Three**

**Four  
**Siren Moon  
Riana Venturanza

**None from Five and Six**

**Seven**

Emily Ray  
Torin Carlysle  
Carissa Oak

**None from Eight**

**Nine**

Jenna Moonlight

**Ten**

Adeline Hanran  
Shaki

**Eleven**

Rye Lefter

**None from Twelve**

* * *

**Adeline, from District 10:**

I wake up cocooned in some large leaves at the top of a tall tree. I sit up, stretch, and smile. It's going to be a great day.

I found Shaki's camp last night, but before I could attack, it started raining, so I had to back off. However, the rain is gone now, and I can go after him again.

Also, I was watching the sky last night, and I was pleased to see that the two career boys from 2 and 4 died yesterday. That's wonderful news. Every tribute that dies gives me a better chance of making it back home. Plus, I'm sneakier and stronger than I look. Only the careers could kill me in one-on-one combat, so that makes their deaths that much better.

Grabbing my knife, I quietly turn and climb down the tree. Going over to the thick cluster of bushes, I peer between a couple of branches and see the boy from District 10 sitting by a lean-to. He's fingering a jade pendant. It's the district token from the girl he killed.

Rage courses through my veins as I think of her again. It's one thing to kill someone in combat, but you can't just lure in other tributes and pretend to be their friend and protector, only to kill them mercilessly when they least suspect it.

I charge out of the thicket and lunge at the boy. He turns to look at me, and I plunge my small knife toward his chest.

But, he's fast, much faster than I expected. My blade only lodges in his shoulder. He howls in pain, and punches me, flinging me to the ground.

I groan as I hit the ground hard. The next thing I know, he is on top of me, strangling me. His grip is too strong for me to break, and I know if I don't do something quick, I'll be dead a lot sooner than I was expecting.

Reaching up, grasping for anything, my hands find his face. Quickly, I ram my thumbs into his eyes. Roaring in agony, he lets go and lurches backwards, but it's too late. I already heard the simultaneous popping noise that tells me that I've punctured both of his eyes.

I try not to vomit as I see the remains of his eyes. He stumbles around his camp, knocking things over and tripping as he clutches his face.

Wanting to end this quickly, I walk up to him, pull the blade out of his shoulder, and slit his throat. He slumps to the ground as his life drains away.

Smiling victoriously, I look down at the blood on my hands.

**Torin, from District 7**

It rained all night, and with nothing else that I could do, I curled up on the floor of the cage and fell asleep.

Now, I wake up shivering as a light breeze picks up, making my wet clothes cold. I sit up and look around. I'm around one hundred feet in the air, and looking down, I see the boy from last night walking toward me.

It's the District 1 boy who had been with the careers. He walks over to a crude-looking pulley system and begins messing with some ropes. Suddenly, the cage begins to lower until it reaches the ground.

I'm now within his grasp.

**Andrew, from District 1**

I grin as I approach the quivering boy. My so carefully crafted cage worked beautifully, and now, I can have a little fun.

"What do you want?" he asks, trying to sound defiant but failing miserably.

"I just want to play a little game," I reply, "It's quite simple really. I want you to run through a little obstacle course of sorts that I have put together."

"No way!" he retorts, "I won't play along with you."

"Fine," I sigh, "It won't be as fun, but I have needed some target practice." I produce a wickedly sharp dagger and run my finger down the blade. His eyes widen in fear.

"Wait," he says shakily. "What kind of course?"

"Well, I've created some traps. They're designed to kill of course, but I'll let you try to make it through alive. If you do, then I'll let you go. If you refuse, then I'll kill you. The choice is yours."

"Fine," he grudgingly relents. "I choose the obstacle course."

"Great," I say with a smile. "The course starts at your cage and ends over by that large oak. Stay within the ropes or you'll die for sure. The roped-off path is designed to be escapable. Are you ready?"

He nods, and I walk over to a pulley system on the opposite side of the course, deftly avoiding trip wires as I go. I pull on a rope, and the top of the cage lifts off of the boy. He immediately turns and tries to run in the opposite direction.

I sigh. What a stupid kid. Didn't I tell him that his only chance of survival is through the course? In seconds, he hits a thread as delicate as the strand of a spider web, and a blade is flung into his calf.

He howls in pain and drops to the ground.

"I told you," I call out. "You won't make it going that way. You'll have to go through the course."

He glowers at me, grits his teeth, and gets up. He starts to run straight through the course. He is really clumsy because of his injured leg and triggers almost every trap. He dodges an axe but ends up with a quiver of arrows in his left shoulder.

A giant branch swings down and knocks him backwards. He stumbles and falls into a pit. He screams out, and I assume he landed on his back, pushing the arrows farther into his shoulder.

I walk over to the pit and look down at him. He is pathetic, whimpering at the bottom.

"Looks like you lost," I call down. I pull out a small water bottle that contains a couple dozen beetles I had found devouring the corpse of a deer. I unscrew the cap and dump them into the pit.

The boy starts to scream as the beetles burrow into his flesh, devouring him from the inside out. I see the lumps under his skin move toward his head, and I know he's done for.

Smiling as the cannon blasts, I head over to my traps and begin to set them back up.

**Rye, from District 11:**

I'm starting to get really nervous. I keep hearing cannon blasts, so I know that other tributes are actively going after one another. Jenna, Carissa, and I are just sitting here doing nothing.

We aren't going to be prepared for other tributes when we have to confront them, especially not the careers.

We haven't been completely lazy. I mean, we have set up a really nice camp with sleeping bags, a small cooking area, and even a makeshift shower if we can get water, but the Hunger Games aren't about comfort, they're about survival.

I get up and walk over to Jenna, who is sitting by the cave wall. She is painting a picture on the wall using a variety of crushed up berries. I grimace at the thought of the wasted berries, but I have to remind myself that she is only nine. She's much too young to be in a life-and-death situation.

And yet, here she is.

"Hey, Jenna," I say. She looks up and smiles.

"Hi," she says in her quiet and melodic voice.

"What are you painting?" I ask.

"I don't really know," she replies, "just something happy." I sigh inwardly. I hate to have to do this. To crush this innocence and beauty, but if she wants to live, I have to turn her into something else. Something she isn't.

A killer.

"I'm sorry to take you away from your art," I apologize, "but I need to teach you how to defend yourself." I see Carissa look over at me and frown slightly.

"Alright," Jenna agrees softly, "I'll do whatever you think is best."

We head over to the pile of weapons that we took from the Cornucopia, and Jenna selects a small bluish-silver sword.

We practice sparring for a couple of hours, and at the end of our session, Jenna is exhausted. However, she has made significant progress.

I should be happy, but I'm not. I have taken part of her childhood.

She is no longer the little girl she used to be.

* * *

**A/N: *looks at Andrew's POV section* I think this will be the last T-rated chapter.**

**In fact, I'm rating this story M now. Sorry.**


End file.
